Japan reviews drone rules after landing on roof of Abe's office

Japanese police arrested a man who allegedly dropped a small drone laced with traces of radiation on the prime minister's office in an apparent protest against the country's nuclear power policy.

The discovery last week of the four-propellered drone on top Shinzo Abe's office building sparked national debate over the need for rules to govern the use of unmanned aircraft, mirroring discussions in the US and Europe.

An official at the Metropolitan Police Department said unemployed Yasuo Yamamoto, 40, was arrested on Friday after he turned himself in to police in Fukui prefecture in western Japan, which is home to several nuclear plants.

He was arrested on charges of obstructing operations at the prime minister's office. If found guilty, he faces up to three years in prison or a Y500,000 ($4,200) fine.

Police declined to provide further details but Japanese media reported that the man told police he flew the drone on April 9, and was worried about plans to restart nuclear power plants four years on from a tsunami that caused a series of meltdowns in Fukushima. He claimed to have put radioactive sand he got from Fukushima in a container on the drone, the reports said.

At the time of the discovery, the drone was equipped with what appeared to be a camera and a plastic container of unidentified liquid. The container is believed to be the source of a tiny amount of radioactive caesium, although the level is considered to be harmless to humans, according to police.

The incident came to light just as a court in Kagoshima, on Japan's southern island of Kyushu, approved the restart of two reactors at the Sendai plant, rejecting a petition by residents to keep the reactors offline.

Hours before the arrest on Friday, Japanese government ministers gathered to discuss regulations to prevent the harmful use of drones after the incident sparked concerns that they could be used for terrorist attacks.

Japan is likely to set restricted areas for drones around government buildings, nuclear plants, airports and other sensitive areas, as in the case of the US and the UK. Japanese aviation laws do not currently prohibit drones at or below 250m above ground except near airports.

"We will swiftly consider steps to strengthen the security of important facilities, rules for operation and legal regulations" concerning the use of unmanned aircraft, Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, said.

Experts had highlighted the absence of regulations concerning drones. In the latest case, Masahiro Kobayashi, a lawyer and expert on the safety of robots, had said applying the penalty for obstructing business would be a stretch, considering that authorities had not noticed the drone's landing.

If the man's reported confession is accurate, that would mean authorities had not noticed the drone was there for nearly two weeks.

Authorities worldwide are grappling with concerns that the growing popularity of affordable mini-drones fitted with cameras could pose increasing danger, following a crash-landing of a drone at the White House in January and a spate of drone sightings at nuclear power stations in France last year.

In February the Federal Aviation Administration proposed rules to govern the use of drones in US commercial airspace as it tries to reconcile security and privacy concerns with the considerable business opportunities offered for companies including Google and Amazon.

The UK has specific laws governing small unmanned aircraft that prohibit them from flying within 150m of a congested area or 50m of a vessel, vehicle, building or other structure not owned or controlled by the person operating the drone.

Additional reporting by Nobuko Juji

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